Now that we have so many great areas to enjoy in the back yard we spend more time out there.  Unfortunately the famed Alaskan mosquitoes like to join us!  To remedy that problem we decided to add tiki torches to expand the reach of the citronella candles we already use.

I spotted these Better Homes and Gardens torches at Walmart recently and decided to give them a try.  They come with hardware so they can be used three different ways.  The first option is as a table top torch using the pedestal attachment.  The second option is to position them on a deck railing with the clamp provided.  And the third is as a pole torch using the post extensions.

Because I always seem to use things slightly differently than how they are intended, I wanted to put them to the posts we already had in the yard.  I planned to ask the Hubs to create a galvanized pipe fitting that we could attach to the posts for the deck shade and fire pit lights, which could be affixed to the base of the torch.  Luckily, he had an easier idea.

He suggested using the provided railing clamp on a small block of wood he could attach to the posts.  It was such a great idea and it saved us the cost of creating the pipe fittings.  We did debate about cutting the metal pole on the torches so they didn’t extend beyond the clamp.  The Hubs wanted to keep the extra length and I was thinking it would look better with it cut.  We decided to leave it for now and if I still don’t like it in a few weeks we can cut them down.

We tested them out the other night, now that the days are getting a little shorter.  They sure seemed to keep the bugs at bay and they gave off a nice glow in addition to our cafe lights. (Just ignore those cobwebs, ok?  The spiders seem to appreciate them as well.)

The big reservoir inside the canister means they don’t need to be filled often, so we can just light them and sit back.   Now we just need to make more time to sit out back and enjoy them before the snow flies in about 2 months!